Musing – Part 2 – How does God Define Marriage in His Bible?

Hebraic Musing – Part 2 – How does God Define Marriage in His Bible?

This is part 2 of a three-part study –  How do we view Marriage & Divorce Today?  
Part 1 – Why is Marriage Important to God?            
Part 2 – How does God Define Marriage in His Bible?     (Today’s message)
Part 3 – What’s the Real Problem with Divorce?

Marriage is frequently referenced throughout the Bible and especially in the Torah, so let’s see how God defined Marriage in His Word:

·      Genesis 24 tells of the pursuit of an appropriate bride, Rebekah, for Isaac.  The final verse describes the wedding.  “Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her;” Gen 24:67 NIV    Marriage was consummated in the tent.  No ceremony!

·      Priests were told by the Lord in Lev.21:7 "'They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands, because priests are holy to their God.”   And in 1 Peter 2:9 Peter calls us Christians “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God,”; thus an expectation that we are to remain holy, undefiled, consecrated to God’s service.

·      The LORD was especially concerned about the marital purity of the High Priest’s offerings in Lev 21:13-15 "'The woman he marries must be a virgin. He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, so he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the Lord, who makes him holy.'"

·      And marriage was required if a man took her virginity.  “He must marry the girl, for he has violated her.  He can never divorce her as long as he lives.”  Deut. 22:29   So Biblically a man can have many wives, but a woman can only have one husband.  We in the Church are many and we become the “Bride of Christ” as we wed our one “Husband” Jesus Christ at the “Wedding Supper of the Lamb”.

·      If a divorced woman remarries and is again divorced, or husband dies, she cannot return to the first husband.  “… then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord.” Deut. 24:4

·      Many other verses re Marriage in the Torah deal with the prohibition to marry outside of the tribe, e.g. “don’t become unequally yoked.”

The New Testament further defines more issues involving marriage:

·      A widow is allowed to remarry – “For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage.” Rom 7:2-3     This is restated in 1 Cor.7:39 with the “Equally Yoked” caveat.  “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.”

·      But there is a problem if a woman remarries while her husband is still alive – “So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress.” Rom. 7:3

·      The sanctity of marriage is emphasized in Heb.13:4 – “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”

Important – Satan wants us to look back; Jesus came to forgive the past so we can look forward.

Marriage is God’s gift to us, starting with Adam & Eve’s marriage.  And through marriage God has given us the creative power to create life by obeying His first commandment – “Go forth and be fruitful”.

 Point to ponder

What about you?  How can you support Biblical Marriages?

Thank you Lord for the gift of marriage!    

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                                  January 23, 2018

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
and “Biblical Marriage”   Amazon search – “Biblical Marriage Yosef”